Originally used by Toyota, kaizen is a results-oriented tool that fosters continuous improvement. In the United States, kaizen is usually an event of from three to five days in duration. It is comprised of intensive improvement activities directed at specific areas of a business. The main goal of kaizen is the elimination of non-value-added activities (waste) through the implementation of one-piece flow, working to takt time, and instituting a pull system. The mantra is to manufacture only what is needed by the customer, when it is needed, and in the quantities ordered. Kaizen has been shown to collapse lead times, dramatically reduce work in process, and reduce scrap and defects while minimizing the need for capital expenditures. Its successful results across industry are real, proven, documented, and confirmed!

The first step to implementing kaizen in any organization is to provide training on the Toyota Production System (TPS). The "Kaizen Event Implementation Manual," Fifth Edition begins with this never-before documented training material, but goes further to explain why the TPS tools, including kaizen, must work in tandem with a new way of thinking to bring about cultural change. By thinking "lean" and applying kaizen, everyone in the organization is empowered to eliminate waste, in all of its forms, at all levels, all the time.Flexibility, simplicity and the quest for constant improvement become the driving goals.

Revised and expanded in its fifth edition, the "Kaizen Event Implementation Manual" has seen use in many industries for wide-ranging applications. It provides workers at all levels of an organization with a how-to guide for planning, organizing, and implementing kaizen events in any setting. Its hands-on presentation, complete with reusable charts and forms, will bring a level of competence and understanding to event teams and participants as they become self-sufficient in the application and use of kaizen.

About the Author

A senior tool and process engineer, Geoffrey L. Mika completed a four-year internship at the former Chrysler Corporation while attending Wayne State University. He has a B.S. degree in Management, as well as a master's degree in manufacturing engineering. A journeyman tool and diemaker, he completed an apprenticeship at Ford Motor Company, Rouge plant. Over the past 30 years he has held numerous positions, in a wide variety of industries.

A "lean" advocate and implementer for over 20 years, Geoffrey Mika received his formal training on the Toyota Production System in Japan at Toyota Motor Co. and Shingijutsu. He is a Black-belt and Master Kaizen Sensei. In 1987, he began his own consultancy. Now known as Kaizen Sensei (formerly World Class Management Consultants), his successful consultancy has facilitated over 360 kaizen implementations in 27 countries.

Geoffrey Mika is the author of numerous articles and books on lean manufacturing and other subjects pertaining to manufacturing and engineering. He is also the creator of the "Work Smart Management System." Certified by the American Production and Inventory Control Society (APICS), he is a member of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) and the American Society for Quality (ASQ).